Trump presidency has led to increased support for charities and campaigns

30 May 2017

The presidency of Donald Trump has prompted millions of people in the UK to become more politically engaged and increase their support for good causes.

Research carried out for the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) suggests that a third of the population have responded to the US President’s election to the White House by lending their support to a cause or charity.

Signing a petition was the most popular response, with one in four UK adults saying they had done so in direct response to the Trump presidency. More than a million people have made a donation to charity or volunteered. And while 6% of people said they had already taken part in demonstration or protest, one in five UK adults (20%) say they’d be more likely to in future.

The YouGov polling indicates that younger people are most likely to have been prompted to get involved in charities or campaigns following the Republican’s victory over Hillary Clinton last November. The research also suggests that human rights and overseas aid causes were probably the most likely to have benefited from such support.

It also found that increased support for charities and issues was likely to continue, with large numbers of people saying they were more inclined to engage in such activity in future.

Last month, CAF’s UK Giving report found that the 2016 EU Referendum and the continuing debate around Brexit had led to an increase in people getting involved in protests and campaigns.

Today’s research is based on a survey of 1,003 UK adults asking about charitable behaviour they had in engaged in as a direct result of Donald Trump’s election. It found that the election of Donald Trump had prompted:

- One in four people (25%) to sign a petition.
- Around 1 in 20 (6%) to take part in a demonstration or protest. One in five people (20%) said they were more likely to in future.
- 1.5 million people (3%) to donate to charity, with the same number (3%) having donated goods.
- One in 50 (2%) to share details of a charity online

CAF’s Head of Research Susan Pinkney said:

“The past 12 months has seen a huge amount of political change on both sides of the Atlantic. As with the EU referendum, the election of Donald Trump appears to have really motivated people to get engaged with causes and campaigns.

“For many this has translated into signatures on petitions or taking part in protest marches, while for others it has prompted donations to causes they care about.

“At a time when people increasingly feel that they want to make a difference, many see charities as a way to achieve that.”

Notes to editors

1 The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is one of Europe’s largest charitable foundations, which helps more than 250,000 people and 3,000 businesses give to good causes, while offering financial services to support charities

2 YouGov surveyed 1,003 members of the public across the UK from 20 February to 28 February 2017. The sample is nationally representative and is weighted to known population data on demographics including age, sex, social class and region.